An appeal to raise the final funds needed to open a new hospice smashed its target, as a community was hailed for getting behind the “unprecedented” campaign.

Herriot Hospice Homecare launched a 36-hour appeal at 7am on Sunday, aiming to raise £300,000 by 7pm on Monday after securing the backing of match-funders who agreed to double any donations made during that time.

The money will go towards the multi-million pound transformation of the old Lambert Memorial Hospital in Thirsk into an in-patient hospice, specialist bereavement centre and community hub.

The facility will provide the only hospice beds in the Hambleton and Richmondshire districts of North Yorkshire.

The Northern Echo: Herriot Hospice Homecare supporters, volunteers, community champions and staff celebrate at the

The fundraising push, Make Our Local Hospice Happen, hit the £300,000 target just after 2.30pm on Monday, thanks to a remarkable community effort which saw more than 1,000 donations made and scores of local groups and businesses making sizeable gifts.

It was so successful that the target was extended to £400,000, following an offer of a further £50,000 from the match-funders. The charity said this was "in response to the extraordinary surge of support from our community" and would see it achieve “all of the remaining funds for its capital appeal”.

The Northern Echo: Building work at the former Lambert Hospital on Chapel Street, Thirsk

It has thanked everyone “who continues to be part of this unprecedented campaign and community - a community made up of passionate local people, groups and businesses, trusts and generous individuals and our exceptional matched funders".

Building work has already started on the historic former community hospital, which was gifted to Herriot Hospice by Hambleton District Council in 2019, and it is hoped the funds raised in the last two days will allow the new centre to open its doors later this year.

The Northern Echo: An artist's impression of how the new community hub at the Lambert could look

The site will also provide a base for the charity’s well-established HOME service, which offers end of life care in the place people call home.

Tony Collins, chief executive of Herriot, said: “This has been an incredibly rewarding, inspiring and humbling campaign. The level of support from our community has been overwhelming – local people asked us to bring a hospice to Thirsk, and local people really have been behind Herriot Hospice@The Lambert all the way to help make it happen. From the bottom of our hearts – thank you. 

The Northern Echo: Tony Collins, chief executive of Herriot Hospice Homecare, outside the Lambert Hospital

“We knew that raising £300,000 in 36 hours was an ambitious goal, but we have truly been blown away by the tidal wave of support we have experienced since we launched the appeal on Sunday."

A total of 155 individuals sign up as campaign “champions,” raising funds on individual and team online pages, including star of Channel 5’s Yorkshire Vet, Peter Wright and Herriot ambassador and daughter of James Herriot, Dr Rosie Page.

“We saw the fantastic spirit of our unique local communities as part of this campaign – passionate local people, groups and businesses, trusts and generous individuals who share our determination and drive to make this very special project happen," said Dr Page.

"Today local people should be very proud of all we have achieved together, and what this means for local families for generations to come.

“It is wonderful, and appropriate, that the Herriot name is to be attached to this facility, which will serve the community in which Dad worked for so many years. I know for certain that he would be very proud too.”

Local communities were at the heart of the campaign, with Thirsk Rotary Club providing £13,000, a pop up cake shop organised by a volunteer fundraising group raising more than £5,000, and a dog show raising over £1,000. Many local shops, businesses and schools also got involved.